Report: X’s Community Notes Failing to Curb Election Misinformation

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, is under scrutiny for its “Community Notes” fact-checking tool, which a recent report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) claims is underperforming in curbing misinformation about the U.S. elections. According to CCDH, Community Notes has fallen short in addressing false claims, as the tool, intended to allow users to collaboratively flag misleading information, failed to display corrective notes to all users in numerous cases.

The CCDH report analyzed 283 misleading posts about the U.S. election on X and found that 209, or 74%, of these posts lacked visible notes correcting the misleading information for all users. This gap in transparency has allowed these posts to accumulate a staggering 2.2 billion views, underscoring the potential reach and influence of unchecked misinformation. CCDH has called for X to prioritize platform safety and transparency, suggesting that Community Notes may not be sufficient in its current form.

X’s representatives did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on CCDH’s findings. Community Notes, launched by X last year, is based on a crowd-sourcing approach to fact-checking, where users contribute notes to posts that may contain inaccuracies, rather than relying on a dedicated team of fact-checkers.

The report comes after X lost a lawsuit to CCDH earlier this year, with CCDH accusing the platform of fostering an environment conducive to hate speech. Social media companies, including X, have long faced criticism over their handling of misinformation and conspiracy theories, which range from election integrity to public health topics like vaccines.

In a separate incident in August, secretaries of state from five U.S. states urged Musk to address issues with X’s AI chatbot, which reportedly spread misinformation regarding the upcoming Nov. 5 election. Musk, who publicly endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump in July, has himself been criticized for amplifying misinformation on X. With Trump currently in a close race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, experts argue that unchecked misinformation on social media could have far-reaching impacts on public perception and election outcomes.

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